Contact Texas Governor Abbott today!

Great news! HB 2516 has passed the Texas House and Senate with overwhelming support! We now need Governor Abbott to sign this bill for it to become the law. This critically important bill provides affordable access to Medicare Supplement Insurance, also known as Medigap, for dialysis patients under the age of 65. In Texas, while ESRD patients under 65 have access to guaranteed issue Medigap coverage, they face unaffordable premiums reaching as high as $1,731 per month compared to the $102 per month for those age 65.

HB 2516 is vital to dialysis patients because:

• Medigap covers the 20% out-of-pocket expenses that Medicare leaves behind, reducing healthcare costs for patients.
• It secures premium protections for Texas residents with ESRD on Medicare, yet not eligible for Medicaid, and who are under age 65.
• It fulfills the secondary insurance requirement that many transplant centers demand for ESRD patients awaiting a kidney transplant.
• It uses NO STATE FUNDS and has the potential to save Texas’s Medicaid program $11.7 Million over 5 years by avoiding cost shifting to the Medicaid program.
• It offers protection to Texans from exhausting their assets just to qualify for Medicaid, as Medicaid covers the out-of-pocket expenses that Medicare does not cover.

We’re so proud of the broad support that has helped us get this far, including patient advocates and countless organizations across Texas and the nation! We would not have been able to get this far without the powerful voices of the DPC community! But our work isn’t done yet, and that is why we’re asking for your help to get HB 2516 signed by the Governor.

Please contact Governor Abbott today and ask him to sign this important bill.